Wikileaks releases more Global Intelligence Files; some highlights

Wikileaks has released another batch of emails from the private intelligence company Stratfor. Among them are some interesting bits of information, including:

Allegations that the White House and CIA ordered the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) to cease investigating Afghanistan president Ahmed Karzai's brother for drug trafficking that funded terrorism. The email reads in part: "For political reasons, DEA has been told to backoff [sic] by the White House and CIA. DEA is seeing a direct nexus between terrorism and narcotics in Afghanistan with narcotics sales being used to fund jihadist operations."

References to the Obama war on whistleblowers. One email, dated September 2010, reads in full: "Brennan is behind the witch hunts of investigative journalists learning information from inside the beltway sources. Note -- There is specific tasker from the WH to go after anyone printing materials negative to the Obama agenda (oh my.) Even the FBI is shocked. The Wonder Boys must be in meltdown mode..."

A breakdown of the FBI's major "Going Dark" concerns, as laid out by the Albany field office. The FBI has been publicly hinting at what it says are major impediments to its "legal electronic surveillance" operations. (For an interrogation of the supposed "legality" of the FBI's surveillance, read this.) In a document prepared for law enforcement, the Albany field office of the FBI listed the Tor network, encryption and anonymous remailers as technologies that impede total information awareness. Take a look at the document here.

Possible Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) attacks on Mexican drug cartel leaders. A May 2011 email reads: "Have been told by a very good contact that JSOC is looking at unilateral actions in MX targeting cartel HVT's."

Problems with the TSA and its reliance on contractors. One email claims a "senior agent at DHS" said: "Another issue is that DHS in general has too many contractors whose first interest is furthering their company's interests, and many of these folks couldn't find their bottoms with both hands and a mirror. Unfortunately, the few direct hire staff end up overwhelmed by their contractor majority staffs....Contractor footnote: have observed that the contractors are extremely adept at showing up at meetings in large numbers, eating the donuts and drinking the beverages without contributing anything more than body count."

DHS' assessment of the Occupy Wall Street movements. One Stratfor email contains a link to a DHS bulletin for law enforcement and the intelligence community on OWS. The last sentence of that bulletin reads: "Due to the location of the protests in major metropolitan areas, heightened and continuous situational awareness for security personnel across all CI sectors is encouraged."